wiki/knowledge/google-ads/bluepoint-conversion-tracking-audit.md · 909 words · 2025-09-30

Bluepoint Conversion Tracking Audit & Fixes

Overview

During the September 30, 2025 ad review call, a full audit of Bluepoint's Google Ads conversion tracking revealed systemic problems that were inflating reported conversion numbers and preventing Google's bidding algorithms from optimizing toward real leads. These issues require immediate remediation before campaign performance data can be trusted.

See also: [1] | [2]


Problems Identified

1. Page Views Counted as Primary Conversions

Page views were configured as a primary conversion action, causing every site visit to register as a "conversion." This produced absurd reported metrics:

Why this matters: Google's Smart Bidding and PMAX optimization use conversion signals to decide where to spend budget. If page views are the primary signal, the algorithm optimizes for traffic volume rather than actual leads.

2. Conversion Values Not Set

All conversion actions had a conversion value of zero. Without values, Google cannot distinguish between a high-value lead conversion and a low-value micro-event.

Recommended fix: Set conversion value to 1 for all lead actions (form fills, phone calls) until actual lead-to-close data is available to assign revenue-based values.

3. Multiple Conversion Actions Marked "Needs Attention"

Several conversion actions — including contact, outbound click, and phone call events — were flagged as "needs attention" in the Goals dashboard. Troubleshooting confirmed these were not tagged properly, meaning real conversions (form fills, phone calls from landing pages) were likely going unrecorded.

Affected action types observed:
- Contact / form fill (possibly untagged)
- Outbound click (PDF download — no PDF exists on current pages; action should be removed or deferred)
- Phone call from landing page (not tracked; only "call from ads" was present)
- Phone call (status: inactive)

4. Goal Grouping Misconfigured

Google Ads uses goal groups (Primary, Secondary) to determine which conversions drive bidding. The Bluepoint account had:

Correct grouping should be:
| Group | Actions |
|-------|---------|
| Group 1 | Page views (informational signal only — or remove entirely) |
| Group 2 | Email clicks, soft engagement |
| Group 3 | Form fills, phone calls (primary lead conversions) |

5. Phone Calls from Landing Pages Not Tracked

The landing pages contain phone numbers (including multiple numbers in the footer — itself a separate issue), but there was no conversion action configured to track clicks on those numbers. Only "call from ads" (i.e., the Google Ads call extension) was present.


Immediate (Urgent — ClickUp task required)

  1. Remove page views as a primary conversion action. Page views can remain as an event in Google Analytics but should not be a Google Ads conversion goal.
  2. Set conversion value = 1 for all lead actions (form fills, phone calls).
  3. Fix all "needs attention" conversion actions — verify tagging via Google Tag Manager for each flagged action.
  4. Regroup conversion goals: Move phone calls and form fills to Group 3; demote or remove page views from Group 1.
  5. Add phone call tracking from landing pages — configure a click-to-call conversion action distinct from "call from ads."

Near-Term

  1. Investigate CallRail setup for Bluepoint. Given the volume of traffic these campaigns are generating, dynamic number insertion via CallRail would allow attribution of phone calls to specific campaigns and ads. (Assigned: Melissa to investigate.)
  2. Remove or defer PDF download conversion action — no PDF currently exists on the landing pages.
  3. Consolidate to a single tracked phone number per landing page — multiple footer phone numbers cannot be individually attributed and dilute tracking accuracy.

Campaign Performance Context

Despite broken conversion tracking, front-end metrics for Bluepoint campaigns were strong as of the audit date:

Campaign Impressions Clicks CTR Avg CPC Spend
PMAX ~1,000,000 ~6,000 <1% $0.09 ~$500
Cashless ATM ~7,000 654 8% $1.00 ~$700
Traditional ATMs 155 10% ~$4.00
Reverse ATM $13.00

The high click volume and low CPCs indicate strong ad relevance and audience targeting. The core problem is that without accurate conversion data, Google cannot optimize bids toward actual leads, and the team cannot evaluate true campaign ROI.


Action Items

Action Owner Priority
Fix conversion tracking (remove page views, set values, fix "needs attention" items) Anup 🔴 Urgent — ClickUp task to be created by Gilbert
Create ClickUp task for Anup with due date Gilbert 🔴 Immediate
Adjust Reverse ATM bids (reduce 75%) Gilbert 🔴 Immediate
Adjust Traditional ATM bids (target ~$2 CPC) Gilbert 🔴 Immediate
Investigate CallRail setup for Bluepoint Melissa 🟡 Near-term

Sources

  1. Index
  2. 2025 09 30 Ad Review Call
  3. Conversion Tracking Best Practices
  4. Landing Page Cta Best Practices
  5. Bluepoint Campaign Performance